Boxed carboy



Patented Nov. 24, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE OTTO H. BUSE, OF SHAKER HEIGHTS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR. TO THE GRASSELLI CHEMICAL COMPANY, 01 CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE BOXED CARBOY Application filed January 28, 1930. Serial No. 423,967.

Interstate Commerce Commission, the fac tor of breakage is of great economic importance in modern practice and the problem of providing a safer package for carboys has since generally been approached by providing a package in which the carboy is supported in resilient relation to the outer box of the package. In some instances steel springs, but in most cases wooden slats, arranged in the most varied combinations which human ingenuity could devise, were relied upon to dampen the shocks to which boxed carboys are inevitably subjected under modern handling and transportation conditions.

According to my understanding of the mechanical phenomena involved, I believe that in all resilient carboy packings of which I am aware, any shock to whichthe so boxed carboy is subjected, is transmitted, to a cer-. tain extent to the carboy'itself, inducing therein vibrations which, due to the elastic and resilient nature of the packing elements. are not sufficiently absorbed to allow the carboy to satisfactorily withstand somewhat severe transportation strains, with the result that often the safety limit of the glass is reached or exceeded. It is my belief that in all instances where the impact on the package is not sufficient to crush or damage the whole package, the breakage of the glass is mainly due to such vibrations.

The terms carboy and boxed carboy are used herein in the same sense as used in I. C. G. shipping container regulations and specifications, that is to say carboy designates the naked breakable glass, stoneware, etc. vessel and boxed carboy is the completely assembled package which comprises the vessel itself, the outer box and the packing elements between vessel and box.

My invention comprises a method of packing carboys whereby vibrations in the glass vessel are practically avoided and vibrations which occur are dampened by the packing elements to such an extent that breakage only occurs when the boxed carboy is submitted to abnormal shock conditions.

My invention further comprises a boxed carboy built according to this method, and which is very economical and has a resistance to breakage considerably greater than that of any known package in which resilient elements are relied upon to protect the carboy from breakage, and it consists in its broadest embodiment in the use of sup orting elements for thecarboy in the package, which are neither elastic nor plastic, but have well defined properties.

In packing a carboy according to my method, I provide first for an outer box of customary construction as provided for and approved by I. C. C. regulations. In the inside of this box I locate at appropriate ,places pieces of material or blocks of special properties, w hich are so shaped that'when the carboy is placed in the box it will abut only on such supporting elements. Additional blocks are then affixed to the box, again in direct contact with the carboy, in such a way that vertical movements of the carboy are substantially prevented. It will be understood that the carboy is in this manner held in place by my blocks which are indirect, non-elastic, or non-resilient contact with the glass and the outer shell of the package, the glass being in direct, straight linear relation to the box, without touching the same. The protection of the carboy 1s therefor entirely dependent upon the particular properties of the blocks which will presently be described.

The blocks useful in my invention must have a relatively high, but slow rate of compressibility, and not more than about 20% initial permanent set, or deformation, and most important, the rate of recoil must be exceedingly slow. I have devised a method of measuring these various properties and by this method I am enabled to determine the suitability of any material for use in" the packing of carboys according to my invention. 7

A cubes of the material to be tested are subjected to a definite load, for instance, 5,000

grams. The rate at which compression takes place in a given time is measured, as well as 5 the time required for complete compression.

The load is then removed and the time required for the blocks to return to rest, that is to say to approximately their original size is noted, as well as the rate of deformation measured. Itis advisable in this test to discount the rate of compression during the first half minute which is a variable factor for the,test pieces, as it is somewhat dependent upon the degree of contact which can be obtained between the face of the block and the face of the press.

This test is conveniently performed in the so-called Williams plasticity press, description of which is published in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, vol. 16, page 362, (1924).

The following table gives the results of a number of tests made on various materials Time in com escom in minutes for complete compression Time in minutes for return to rest Per cent Material tion Immediate. llmrnedlatpt.l

20 Infinite. rl-

Infinite.

P... I III I I NP? 9 I H Hmmca crux: a) I Q 2"!"9 P 3*99999 a CH 8 a {fieacao asphalt and ground cork, the size of the cork ranging all the way from large lumps down to a fine powder.

#5 is similar to #4, but the ground cork was screened and only that part used which passed a screen.

#6 is again similar to #4, but only that part of the screened cork was used which passed a screen.

#7 Was a composition of about equal parts White pine sawdust and asphalt.

#8 was a composition of about equal parts excelsior and asphalt.

#9 was a composition of about asphalt, 30% cork dust and 30% A screened granulated cork.

#10 was a composition of about asphalt with screened granulated cork.

deiorma- #11 was a composition of about 46% asphalt with screened granulated cork.

The above table illustrates compositions, or materials which by their properties can be classed in 3 groups. Virgin cork and cork asphalt compositions containing relatively large pieces of cork (above have sufficient resiliency to allow the test pieces to immediately return to size and shape, though they have a noticeable permanent set or deformation. These are really elastic materials in the accepted term of this word. Opposite to this group are materials illustrated in tests 6, 7 and 8, which have no elasticity Whatever. They are really plastic materials. None of these last materials are sufficiently efficient to prevent or dampen vibrations in glass Vessels with which they are in contact.

' The third group is illustrated by tests 3, 5, 9, 10 and 11. Thematerials used therein are neither plastic nor elastic in the strict application of these words. They have a greater rate of compressibility than materials of the elastic type, as can be seen in the following comparison:

Rate of Rate of Material oomnrcssi- Material com messibility blli The term relatively high compressibility as used herein is intended to mean a com- 32 pressibility in this test greater than that of 1a virgin cork, and relatively low deformation is used to mean a permanent set in the above test not exceeding 20%.

The recoil of materials of the third group is noticeable and slow, it takes several minutes before the material returns to rest, Whereas with elastic materials the recoil is immediate and with plastic material there is no substantial recoil, the plastic material simply spreads out under the load.

Materials having the properties of the above 3rd group, that is to say relatively high rate of compressibility, slow recoil and relatively low permanent set are the ones I use in building blocks, or contacting elements for my novel boxed carboy.

While no test is given in the above table for rubber, either soft or in the form of a sponge, it is well understood that rubber is so elastic that it could be classed in this test among the materials of Group 1, which is exemplified by cork.

Materials having the required properties of relatively high rate of compressibility, slow but noticeable recoil, and relatively low permanent set are most readily prepared by agglomerating particles of an elastic material with a semi-plastic material, such as exsynthetic resins and waxes are outstanding representatives of such semi-plastic .materials. Blown stearine pitch is another material which I can use in the preparation of blocks of the required properties. It is essential to use such plastic materials which retain their semi-plastic properties over a wide range of temperatures as will be encountered in handling and shipping boxed carboys, and blown stearine pitch has this property in a remarkable degree.

In making such agglomerates of elastic and semi-plastic materials it is necessary to choose the substances and their proportions in such a manner that none of the two basic properties, viz: elasticity and plasticity predominate. Material of test #4, in the above table, contains relatively large chunks of virgin cork and due to their size, their elastic properties predominate. As' a matter of fact the test shows immediate recoil, which I find to be a property which makes the material undesirable in the performance of my invention. It is difficult to give general recipes for preparing agglomerates from cork, rubber or other elastic material and semi-plastics, as there are so many variables which affect the final properties. Such general recipes are, however, unnecessary as my above test is so easily and conveniently performed and allows of quick demonstration if the agglomerate would be useful for packing carboys according to my invention.

In assembling a boxed carboy I rovide an outer wooden box in conformity with I. C. C. regulations. I further repare a number of blocks of material of t e desired prop- 7 of the box.

erties, and shape them in such a manner that they will on the one hand fit against the inner walls of the box and also fit snugly against the carboy when the boxed carboy is assembled; these blocks are given the requisite 'shape' in any desired, appropriate manner.

I preferably provide for a series of bottom blocks contacting the bottom and, or sides The carboy sets on these blocks and is prevented from moving laterally in the case. After the carboy has been set upon the bottom blocks, I attach to the box towards its upper part top blocks which abut against the carboy and prevent it from vertical movement. The number, size and shape of these blocks can be varied, but I prefer to contact the blocks with the carboy at its top and bottom shoulders, where it is strongest. The material of which these blocks are made has an initial permanent set, so that after some use there will be a slight deformation of the blocks. While this would be immaterial in respect to the bottom blocks on which the carboy will always rest, it may become necessary to adjust the top blocks, which can be easily done.

A boxed carboy built according to the above is illustrated in the attached figures, of which #1 is a diagonal elevation through the center of the boxed carboy and #2 a plan view along the line AA of Fig. 1.

1 in these figures is the outer wooden box according to I. C. C. specification, 2 is the cover of the boxed carboy, 3 isthe carboy itself, numbers 4 are the reinforcing vertical corner posts, numbers 5 are the bottom blocks and 6 the upper shoulder blocks.

The bottom blocks have a profile of L shape. They are loosely set in the corners of the box and abut against the corner posts 4 and the side walls. They are held in place by the carboy which rests on them. One block is provided in each corner.

The top shoulder blocks, 6, have a vertical, curved face which conforms to the periphery of the carboy. They have at their upper part a protruding ledge which is fitted against the carboys upper shoulder. Blocks 6 abut against the side walls of the box and corner posts and rest on brackets 7 which are nailed to thefcorner posts. They are held in place by wooden blocks 8, of any desired shape, which are nailed to the corner posts. The protruding ledges of blocks 6 contact with the curved parts of the carboy upper shoulder and prevent vertical movement.

It will be understood from the foregoing that the carboy in this package is entirely supported by a material which has a. relatively high rate of compressibility, which has a slow recoil and which has relatively low permanent set, this material being in direct contact with the box of the boxed carboy. While it might be possible to contact the blocks of these particular properties with elastic members interposed between the blocks and the box and/or the vessel, I do not believe that this would present any advantage over my preferred construction. On the contrary, this would do away with one of the advantages of my packing which is simplicity of construction and cheapness, and I also believe that 'it would impair the effect of my material to dampen vibrations which are in dgced in the glass by shocks or jars to the o1 ter shell.

The above exem lifies one arrangement of blocks which has een found very satisfactory in packing carboys in standard packages according to my invention. The number, shape and location of contacting blocks made of material of the particular proper ties disclosed can be varied without departmg from the spirit of my invention. It would, for instance, be possible to support the carboy on an annular piece and contact it with top blocks similar to those used in the above package. These last blocks could also'be replaced by contacting elements having the specified properties, attached to the' cover, though such a combination would for various reasons not appear to be as practical as the one selected above. Smaller and more numerous blocks attached to the side walls and the bottom of the box would similarly provide for a safe packing. The above construction was selected mainly in view of the considerations that the top and bottom shoulders are the strongest parts of the carboy and should therefore preferably be in contact with the supporting and contacting elements and also that the corners make it possible of using the thickest contacting elements, offering thereby the greatest cushioning and damping eil'ect. It is, of course, understood that a certain thickness of material of the specified properties is required to provide the maximum safety of packing. I found that the space between the inner walls of a standard, approved wooden box and a standard 12 or 13 gallon carboy is in all instances sufiicient for the application of a thickness of contacting blocks of the specified properties giving the desired protection.

Boxed carboys to be used in transportation are subject to the approval of the Interstate Commerce Commission, which issued Shipping container specification #1, as revised J anaur 1, 1923, and published by the Bureau of Expl osives, in pamphlet #9, on pages 175 to 180.

This specification provides, amongst others, fora so-called swing test, which is representative of the resistance to breakage of the boxed carboy during transportation. The

-' boxed carboy, with its glacs vessel filled with water, is suspended at the end of a pendulum and swings against a concrete wall; a minimum. amplitude of the swing isspecified at which a certain percentage of the glass vessels in the boxed carboys are to resist breakage under test. This amplitude is measured by the linear horizontal distance from the concrete wall to the bottom edge of the carboy box. The minimum amplitude specified is It is evident that the energy of the blow in this test, or correspondingly the resistance to breakage, is not directly proportional to the linear distance but increases at a greater than linear ratio to the distance. Calculations or graphical measurements will show about the following: Taking the distance of 55" as the unit, it will be found that the en-' ergy of the blow, or the resistance to breakage, at 70 is about 1.5 and at 90" 2:5. In other words, a boxed carboy which has a 90" had a swing test of around test will withstand blows 2 and times as strong as those under which a'55" boxed carboy will have reached its limit of resistance.

The best commercial boxed carboys, which I have seen, in which elastic wooden slats are relied upon for protection of the glass vessel, the highest swing test on cork packed carboys which I am aware of, were just below and I have seen many suggested boxed carboys in which elastlc supports were used, which failed to come up to the specified requirements in the above swing test.

All boxed carboys in which I supported the glass vessel in the standard box through contacting elements composed of material which has a relatively high rate of compressibility, slow recoil and has a relatively low permanent set, and on which a reasonable amount of contacting surface with the glass was provided, were found to pass and considerably exceed the swing test of I. C. shipping container specification #1. Considering the cheapness, ease of fabricating the blocks and assembling of the package, such boxed carboys are economically superior to most of the commercially available boxed carboys showing the same swing test.

I have, however, found that by the use of my invention a boxed carboy can be built which in the above swing test is considerably superior to any heretofore made boxed carboy of which I am aware.

'lhrough numerous tests and experiments I have so improved the properties of the various materials used to make the contacting blocks for my boxed carboy that the compressibility, plasticity and deformation can be properly balanced, and I have determined by these tests which are the optimum properties of the materials for use in packing carboys.

Expressing the properties as results obtained in the previously described test with the Villiams plasticity press, I found that the best boxed carboys are produced by using blocks of a material which has a rate of compressibility of at least 0.5 m./m. per minute during the first 3 minutes, a time needed for the sample to return to rest of at'least 6 minutes and a deformation of not more than 20%. Materials listed as 3, 5, 10 and 11 come within these requirements.

Boxed carboys mate according to the speeific construction described above and using blocks of material corresponding to tlfe numbers 3, 5, 10 and 11 showed a swing test in each instance above such as 5 showed lar to that in the above detailed construction gave a swing test of 60", which indicates less than A; the resistance of a boxed carboy packed with #5 material, the only difierence between the two being the difference of the properties of virgin cork and those of the spec1al block used.

Another interesting comparison is furnlshed by a carboy packed with blocks made of material #9. in the preceding table of results obtained with the plasticity press. This material has a relatively high deformation and the boxed carboy gave a swing test of 67 While this test is as good as that obtained with many commercially used packages, it is far below the resistance obtain- ;rble with blocks which have a lower deforma- Material having in the plasticity press testa compressibilityrate of at least 0.5 m./m. in the first 3 minutes, a time needed for return t9 rest of at least 6 minutes and a deformation of not more than 20% can be obtained 1n var1ous compositions. Carboy packages uslng supporting elements of such material will all show an excellent swing test and be very useful and safe for the transportation of chemicals.

While my invention is specifically described in the foregoing in connection with the 12-13 gallon bottle, it will be understood that it is readily adaptable to and its scope and the appended claims embrace all sizes of carboys and breakable vessels intended for the handling and shipping of liquids.

I claim:

1. As a cushioning member for packaging breakable containers in rigid housings, a nonelastic, nonplastic block having the pro erties of a relatively high rate of compressibllity under pressure, slow recoil and relatively low permanent deformation.

2.'As' a cushioning member for packing breakable containers in rigid housings a nonelastic, nonplastic block having, as shown in the described plasticity press test, the properties of a rate of compressibility under pressure greater than 0.5 mJm per minute, time of return to rest of not less than 6 minutes and a permanent deformation not greater than 20%.

3. As a cushioning member for packaging breakable containers in rigid housings a nonelastic, non-plastic block consisting of an agglomerate of ground cork and asphalt, said agglomerate having, as shown in the described plasticity press test, the properties of a rate of compressibility under pressure greater than 0.5 m./m. per minute, time of return to rest of not less than 6 minutes and perma- 1162b XBfOImEItlOIl not greater than 20%. liquids 1n breakable containers comprising in combination a rigid housing and supporting elements for a breakable container in said package for handling and shipping rigid housing, said supporting elements having the properties of a high rate of compressibility under pressure, slow recoil and relatively low permanent deformation.

5. A package for handling and shipping liquids in breakable containers comprising in combination a rigid housing, a bottle an a relatively high rate of compressibility under pressure, slow recoil and relatively low permanent deformation, said bottle contacting only with and resting solely upon said supporting elements.

-7. A boxed carboy according to claim 6, in which the supporting elements consist of agglomerates of particles of an elastic material embedded in a semi-plastic material.

8. A boxed carboy comprising in combination a rigid housing, supporting elements and a bottle contacting only with and resting solely upon said supporting elements, said supporting elements consisting of agglomerates of ground cork and an asphalt like body, and having the properties of a relatively high rate of compressibility under pressure, slow recoil and relatively low permanent deformation. I

9. A boxed carboy comprising in combination a rigid housing, a bottle and supporting elements for said bottle in said housing, said supporting elements comprising a plurality of blocks located in the lower corners of the. housing, contactin with and supporting the bottle and a plura ity of blocks attached to the side walls of the housing and abutting against the upper shoulder of the bottle, said supporting elements havin the propertles ofa relatively high rate 0 compressibility under pressure, slow recoil and relatively low permanent deformation, and being composed of agglomerates of particles of elastic material embedded in a semi-plastic material.

10. A boxed carboy comprising in combi nation a rigid housing, supporting elements for a bottle in said housing, and a bottle contacting only with and resting solely upon said supporting elements, said supporting elements consisting of a material which in the described plasticity press test has a rate of compressibility under pressure greater than t 0.5 m./m. per minute, a time of return to rest of not greater than 6 minutes, and a permanent deformationnot greater than 20%.

11. A boxed carboy comprising in combination a rigid housing, a bottle and supporting elements for said bottle in said housing, said supporting elements being in direct contact with said bottle and said housing, said bottle being entirely supported and prevented from moving relatively to said housing by said supporting elements, said supporting elements consisting of agglomerates of particles of an elastic material embedded in a semi-plastic material, and having the 10 properties, as determined in the described plasticity press test of a rate of compressibility under pressure greater than 0.5 m. /m. per minute, time of return to rest of not less than 6 minutes and permanent deformation not greater than 12. A boxed carboy comprising in combination a rigid housing, a bottle, 4 supporting blocks placed in the four corners of the housing and having an L shaped profile, the

20 bottle resting and abutting with its lower shoulder upon said 4 blocks, 4 retaining blocks ailixed to the inner side walls of the bottle, contacting with part of the side walls and upper shoulder of the bottle and preventing lateral as Well as vertical movements of the bottle in relation to the housing, said supporting and retaining blocks consisting of agglomerates of particles of ground cork passing through a screen, embedded in asphalt and showing in the described plasticity press test the properties of a rate of compressibility under pressure greater than 0.5 m./m. per minute, time of return to rest of not less than 6 minutes and permanent deformation not greater than 20%.

13. A boxed carboy comprising in combination a rigid housing, supporting elements for a bottle in said housing, and a bottle contacting only with and entirely supported by" said elements, said elements comprising material of a relatively high rate of compressibility under pressure, slow recoil and relatively low permanent deformation, said boxed carboy having a swing test according to I. C. 0. shipping container specification No. 1, as revised January 1, 1923, of not less than 1 i In testimony whereofb I afiix my signature.

TTO H. BUSE. so 

